Washable Cotton Rounds

Tags: Zero Waste

Disposable cotton balls, cotton squares, and cotton rounds are great to have around for wound care and removing nail polish, but for most other uses such as removing makeup, applying toner, and cleaning small, delicate items such as plant leaves and jewelry, they are just wasteful. 

There are so many options when it comes to ditching your disposable cotton balls, squares, or rounds. You can crotchet or sew your own cotton rounds, or face scrubbies as they are often called, you can buy them from Etsy crafters or other companies, you can just use a washcloth in many cases, or even use washable nursing pads.

I bought my reusable cotton rounds from an Etsy store, Soft and Scrubby.  I like these ones because they are soft, and come in a variety of colors and patterns. I tried some made from organic-cotton sewing-scraps, but I found them to be too rough. It seems that flannel-type fabric is the best.

I keep mine in an old glass container I have had since childhood. They add a bit of decorative charm to the bathroom. After using one, they go in a small camping pot I keep in the bathroom for small bathroom and bedroom washables. An alternative would be to keep a lingerie bag or reusable produce bag under the sink and to put the used ones in. 

When they are ready to be washed, they go in a lingerie bag or reusable produce bag and I throw them in the washing machine along with my bathroom towels. Because I wash my towels when I clean the bathroom, it is easy to remember to throw these in the wash at the same time. To dry them, I set them on top of my washing machine to air dry (I have a front loader).

I crunched some numbers and, generally, using purchased washable cotton rounds is not going to save you much money in the long run over disposables. The exceptions to this would be for people who use several each day, for those who make their own from already owned fabric scraps and sewing supplies at home (zero initial cost), and for washable rounds that will end up lasting more than a few years (I haven’t used them long enough to comment on their durability).

Buying cotton rounds:

Etsy Search Results

S.W. Basics, also on Amazon

Imse Vimse, also on Amazon

Crocheting face scrubbies or sewing your own rounds/squares:

Crochet Instructions

Crochet Video

Sewing Instructions 1

Sewing Instructions 2

Blog posts that I used in my research:

My Plastic Free Life

Total Beauty

Update (1/2/16): I suspect that washing alone does not kill bacteria on the cotton rounds and that they may be causing some acne issues for me. I've been soaking them in water with some drops of eucalyptus oil before washing them and that seems to be helping so far.